Pressure surrounds shippers during Tet season

"Yesterday and today, taking food delivery orders at the mall was very difficult. It usually took nearly an hour to complete," Van Minh, a GrabBike driver, said on the morning of January 23, December 25, while waiting in line to receive a drink delivery order at a coffee shop on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.

For example, orders picked up at shopping malls like Lotte or Van Hanh Mall cannot be delivered in less than 45 minutes. "In addition to the expense of parking, those places are large, have many shops and are crowded with people these days. It takes time to find a shop and then wait in line," he said.

Running multiple services at the same time from food delivery, delivery, and passenger transport, Van Minh said that for the past half month, many drivers have gone home early because the roads were so congested last week. This week, the roads are less congested, but because there are fewer drivers, the demand for passenger transport has skyrocketed, and shops and restaurants are crowded during peak business hours, delivery and receipt of goods is still under high pressure, with the risk of reduced income and uncomfortable work.

Nguyen Hieu, a multi-service driver for the Be platform, for example, takes longer to receive orders because of the traffic and lack of drivers. "With delivery orders, it usually takes 20 minutes for me to arrive on time, and sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes to transport people, while normally it only takes 3-5 minutes to receive any order," he said.

In Hanoi, shippers and technology drivers said that delivery orders have been booming for the past half month, mainly from stores and individuals delivering Tet gifts, food or goods that need to be transported urgently. As Tet approaches, shippers are racing to deliver more food.

Ngo Hong Son, a GrabBike driver in Hanoi, said he usually receives orders after nearly 10 minutes of "exploding the hoe". "On January 19, it took me an hour to deliver nearly 2 km. The increased fare during peak days doesn't mean much to me, because the payment to the platform is also correspondingly high," he said.

According to shippers, in addition to the increased demand for instant food delivery via apps during Tet, slower travel since people strictly followed Decree 168 creates a "combo" that puts pressure on work.

Even a few drivers feel uneasy. Nguyen Hieu recently felt uncomfortable when someone took pictures with their phone in public. "There was a day when I waited on the sidewalk for a long time for a customer. At that moment, someone raised their phone and I was so worried that I couldn't sleep at night," he said.

ShopeeFood said that users' demand for ordering food and shopping online has increased in recent days. The effect is even "hotter" as brands and restaurants are actively launching many incentive, gratitude, and stimulus programs to welcome spring, according to a platform representative.

The situation has made shippers and technology drivers work harder recently. According to the company's assessment, in general, drivers take longer than before to pick up passengers and complete trips, especially during rush hours. However, thanks to the activeness of drivers and some technological improvements, the company recorded a much higher number of completed trips last week than the previous week.

Be Group also confirmed that the time-consuming process reduces the productivity of drivers. The reason is due to the "sudden increase" in demand and traffic congestion in the city center during rush hour in the period before Tet.

In addition, a separate reason is that the expansion of the platform has contributed to the pressure on the system. From 10 million customers in the first quarter of 2024, the number has now increased to 15 million, equivalent to a growth rate of 50%. Some users reported that continuously on the afternoon of January 21 and 22, the Be application encountered short-term interruptions, making it impossible to log in or order services.

To help shippers operate more smoothly during the Tet holiday, Be said it will continue to improve its maps and navigation features to suggest optimal routes and avoid congestion. ShopeeFood said it will always work closely with its partners and driver team to ensure a seamless experience amid high demand.

This food ordering app offers rewards for shippers who compete in productivity during Tet with a total prize value of up to 200 million VND. Meanwhile, Grab continues to implement a special reward and engagement program for driver partners.

Authorities have also just had a series of solutions to reduce traffic congestion during the pre-Tet period. Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai assigned the Department of Transport to quickly overcome the limitations and shortcomings of the traffic sign and direction system.

By January 23, the 24th of December, traffic in many inner-city areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City was smoother than the peak weekend. Drivers said that some time slots were more convenient to travel, giving them the opportunity to improve their income.

Registered in Soc Trang, Mr. Huynh Van Chanh plans to work until the 27th of Tet in Ho Chi Minh City before packing up and returning home. "I estimate that in the next 3 days I will earn 1.5 million VND, compared to my usual daily income of only about 300,000 VND. Every extra penny is a penny," he said.

Mr. Hong Son has a wife and three children, the oldest of whom is in college. "My house is in Dong Anh district, so I plan to turn on the app to find customers until the 28th of Tet. For the sake of food, whether the road is jammed or not, I will still try to run," he said.